Oscar Predictions

I'm notoriously HORRID in Oscar pools, so I've hesitated to post my Oscar predictions because it's an important year. If you hadn't heard (and I can't imagine you couldn't have), Kathryn Bigelow is nominated for Best Director for THE HURT LOCKER. Not only is she nominated, but she stands a chance of winning. Which would make her the first woman to win for directing

I've been a HUGE fan of Bigelow's since POINT BREAK. Say what you will, but it's an entertaining film. I first saw it when I was 13. It was the same week I saw the ocean for the first time. So even with eColi brain damage, I remember it vividly. Especially seeing a woman's name at the helm. I don't remember finding it strange a woman had directed the film at the time, even though I'm pretty sure it was the first time I'd ever seen a woman's name as a director, but I do remember thinking how cool it was that woman had directed an action film. How that symbolized for me that an action film didn't have to be a "guy" film. Guys direct "chick" flicks all the time. And I LOVE action and suspense films. It was important to me, and still is, that telling a good story, regardless of genre, is gender neutral. Seeing her name on a "guy" film meant it wasn't a "guy" film. It meant to me that it was an action film for everybody. I don't care that POINT BREAK had one female character and that THE HURT LOCKER had one, even less significant female character. To be honest, and sad to say, I think if they had it might demean the fact that these films were directed by a woman. Bigelow's not trying to change perceptions of gender stereotypes in cinematic portrayals, she's just doing a job - directing. And I think that's really, really cool.

Rant aside, and hoping my prediction here won't spoil the outcome. (SponComGirl, being the slightly superstitious woman she is...) Here are my predictions for the 2010 Oscars:


BEST PICTURE: “Avatar” James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers (Not my favorite story of the year, but overall best - especially for its pioneering of new techniques)


BEST DIRECTOR: “The Hurt Locker” Kathryn Bigelow


BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: “Up”


BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: “Food, Inc.” Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein


BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: “The White Ribbon (Das Weisse Band)” Germany


BEST ACTOR: Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”


BEST ACTRESS: Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side” (NOTE: I didn't get to see THE LAST STATION or AN EDUCATION, so I might be wrong here)


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds”


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”


BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: “Inglourious Basterds” Written by Quentin Tarantino


BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: “An Education” Screenplay by Nick Hornby ("Up in the Air" will win, but I was only really impressed by Anna Kendrick in that film)


BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: “The Hurt Locker” Barry Ackroyd


BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: “Avatar” Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones


BEST FILM EDITING: “The Hurt Locker” Bob Murawski and Chris Innis


BEST SOUND EDITING: “Inglourious Basterds” Wylie Stateman (feel inept to pick this category, so I picked Wylie for the very technical reason - because I've met him.)


BEST SOUND MIXING: “Inglourious Basterds” Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano


BEST ART DIRECTION: “Sherlock Holmes” Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer


BEST COSUME DESIGN: “Bright Star” Janet Patterson


BEST MAKEUP: “Star Trek” Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow


BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: “Avatar” James Horner


BEST ORIGINAL SONG: “The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart” Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett


BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT: “The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant” Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert


BEST SHORT FILM: “Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty” Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell (Though I haven't seen any)


BEST SHORT FILM (ANIMATED): “The New Tenants” Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson


Crossing my fingers that the evening will end with the melodic sounds of shattering glass showering down on Hollywood Boulevard.